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Letter to the Editor: Fundamentalist greed is the 'real' immorality

The Sadducees and Pharisees, early versions of conservative Republicans and Libertarians, kept trying to trap Jesus. The Pharisees questioned whether it was "lawful for a man to part away his wife for every cause?" Jesus said, "Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so" (Mathew 19: 3-8).

The Sadducees, who did not believe in life after death, also tested Jesus when they asked whom a wife would be with in heaven if she married seven brothers in turn after each brother's death. Jesus said, "You do err, knowing neither the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven" (Mathew 22: 24-30).

A Pharisee lawyer then attempted to trap Jesus by asking him what the greatest law was, knowing there were conflicts between the many laws of the Jewish Bible and the commandments. Jesus had evolved to answer with the ultimate of God's laws in social relationships. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. And the second is like unto it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mathew 22: 34-40).

Fundamentalists' harsh judgments against same-sex marriage come from the books of the Jewish Bible. It sounds hypocritical to say same-sex marriage is "not natural," yet supposedly accept the virgin birth of Jesus or his ascension into heaven in front of his disciples, if they really accept Jesus as the son of God and aren't followers of the Jewish faith.

Fundamentalists throw the stone of "immorality" at same-sex marriages. They ignore Jesus' admonition, "And why do you behold the mote that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?" (Luke 6: 37-42; Mathew 7: 1-5).

The real immorality is fundamentalist greed in avoiding fair taxes to pay for those necessary programs like education, food, shelter and health care to help neighbors who have not shared in the wealth generated by their own hard work. And we know what Jesus thought of that!

Jesus said, "You judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me" (John 8: 15-16).

For those of us blessed to have married someone, to share and care with them our entire lives, how does it matter if our neighbor cares and shares their life with any person? And how will it help in the fundamental preservation of the Constitutional separation of church and state established by our founding fathers?

Isn't advocating government interference in such personal decisions of other people the ultimate religious and political hypocrisy? I will be voting "no" on the marriage amendment - and the other Constitutional amendment trying to take away my right to vote!